Head of Programme Management Office - Maternity Cover
The closing date is 10 June 2026
This post is a fixed term contract for maternity leave cover until 31st December 2026.
University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group comprises Kettering General Hospital and Northampton General Hospital, with a budget of over £800 million and over 11,000 staff, serving a population of 900,000 across Northamptonshire.
It is an exciting time to join an organization focused on improving UHN as a place to receive care, a place to work, and meeting financial targets.
Within the Continuous Improvement Directorate, the Programme Management Office (PMO) is responsible for providing the support and expertise required to ensure the successful delivery of all programmes associated with our strategy, including robust governance and management of efficiency and cost improvement programmes.
The Head of the Programme Management Office will lead the PMO Team to ensure delivery of the portfolio of work across UHN, including the delivery of the strategic priorities. The post holder will report to the Director of Continuous Improvement and will be responsible for providing leadership to the Programme Management Office function and team, and for advising on project and programme management best practice, tools, and techniques.
Main duties of the job
* Manage the strategic priority and transformation portfolio including key decision-making timelines, ongoing prioritisation and resource allocation.
* Support, coach and challenge sponsors and workstream leads to deliver their strategic priority programmes and transformation initiatives against objectives rapidly.
* Manage and run the ongoing benefits realisation process on behalf of the Trusts.
* Quality assure strategic and transformation initiatives and act as a supportive yet challenging independent reviewer of programmes.
* Set up and run an effective monitoring and reporting process to provide a single source of truth for the Integrated Leadership Team on the progress of strategic priorities and associated deliverables and transformation programmes.
* Develop and maintain programme-level plans constructing critical paths spanning the portfolio and work with the Health Intelligence team to report against key performance indicators, developing processes to gather, analyse and interpret data and information for programme management purposes.
* Manage the PMO for the UHN / UHL Collaboration Programme.
* Develop and implement a process to ensure risks, dependencies and interdependencies are managed, reviewed and mitigated appropriately.
* Drive the use of appropriate best practice, improvement methodologies and project management tools to improve the likelihood of programme delivery.
About the organisation
University Hospitals of Northamptonshire brings together Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust. As a group, we are committed to improving services for our communities through collaboration, modernising care delivery and striving for excellence.
We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are committed to an inclusive working environment. We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and hold the Gold Award under the Employer Recognition Scheme. Candidates who identify as members of the Armed Forces community and meet the essential criteria will be guaranteed an interview.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Masters level qualification in general or healthcare management, or relevant equivalent experience.
* Evidence of continuous professional development.
* Further specialist training relevant to the role, e.g. project management qualification such as MSP Practitioner.
Experience
* Significant experience in managing large portfolios, programmes and projects within the NHS or a comparable large organisation, preferably in a service related environment.
* Demonstrable significant experience in providing a PMO support service within the NHS or a comparable large organisation, preferably in a service related environment.
* Experience and understanding of a project or programme management methodology including setting project objectives; determining project scope and deliverables; developing a robust project plan; risks and issues management and monitoring and reporting arrangements.
* Experience supporting teams through a process of change, sensitively managing complex issues and managing where performance has not been met.
* Proven collaborative relationship engagement skills with both internal and external stakeholders at a senior level, including managing relationships and encouraging collaborative working between cross-functional teams, and with third parties.
* Experience of analysing areas of highly complex and multifaceted activity in relation to current performance to drive opportunities for future efficiencies.
* Demonstrable specialist knowledge and practical application of programme development and delivery which has resulted in measurable benefit.
* Understand what comprises a robust, quality programme plan, be able to critically assess a complex plan and communicate constructive feedback.
* Ability to lead and manage project teams and hold to account for project delivery staff across a number of clinical or corporate departments.
Skills
* Demonstrate effective analytical and problem-solving skills. Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options, coupled with the ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands.
* Able to empathise and build rapport with clinicians, front-line staff, managers and others, to influence, motivate and engage them into adopting new ways of working.
* Strength of character to constructively challenge programme leads and executive SROs where areas are not delivering against project plans, key milestones and deadlines.
* Able to receive, process, summarise, interpret and communicate highly complex, sensitive and contentious information where there are barriers to acceptance and resistance to change.
* Must be able to work under pressure; prioritise a number of tasks, taking into account internal and external deadlines, escalating issues in a timely manner.
* Effective and adaptable interpersonal and influencing strategies including the ability to persuade others with personal conviction and facts.
* Communicate effectively to a range of groups and individuals in both verbal and written form. Excellent facilitation and presentation skills, with ability to manage varying levels of understanding.
* Accurate and advanced IT keyboard skills including producing high-level reports and presentations, with significant VDU use.
* Ability to work across our two hospital sites: Kettering General Hospital and Northampton General Hospital.
* Proven ability to support the delivery of a programme of sustainable cost improvements.
* Knowledge and clear understanding of the background to, and aims of, current healthcare policy in the NHS, with experience of interpreting and applying national guidance across the local health economy.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and, as such, a submission for Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) must be made to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Address
Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals
Contract
Fixed term
Duration
7 months
Reference number
264-7939411-COR
Job locations
Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals
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